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Trevor Potter
Trevor Potter
Trevor Potter is a member in Caplin & Drysdale's Washington, D.C. office, where he leads the firm's Political Law Practice. He is one of the country's best-known and most experienced campaign and election lawyers, and a former Commissioner and Chairman of the Federal Election Commission.Mr. Potter is a leading authority on lobbying regulation, government ethics and campaign finance issues. He is nationally recognized for his experience in designing compliance programs, responding to campaign finance investigations, and questions concerning lobbying registration and disclosure and federal and state ethics rules. He advises corporations, nonprofit organizations, and candidates on structuring new political efforts and administering their political, lobbying, and issue-advocacy projects.
Mr. Potter served as General Counsel to John McCain 2008 and 2000 presidential campaigns. He also served as Deputy General Counsel to the George H.W. Bush 1988 campaign. He is the founding President and General Counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit which focuses on campaign finance issues in the courts and before the FEC. Mr. Potter now represents Stephen Colbert and his Super PAC and 501C-4. He advises Mr. Colbert on campaign finance issues on The Colbert Report.
Government Experience
- Chairman, Federal Election Commission, 1994 Commissioner, Federal Election Commission, 1991-1995 Assistant General Counsel, Federal Communications Commission, 1984-1985, Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, 1982-1984
Recent Media
- Op-Ed by Trevor Potter: Five Myths About Super PACs, Challenging Everything You Think You Know, The Washington Post (April 13, 2012)
- Colbert Super PAC-501c4 Disclosure, Colbert Nation (April 3, 2012)
- Payday Lender Political Donors Hidden in Corporate Names, Bloomberg News (March 21, 2012)
- 2012 Political TV: Ads, Lies and Videotape, NPR (February 24, 2012)
- Not Coordinating With Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (January 17, 2012)
- Colbert Super PAC Coordination Resolution With Jon Stewart, Colbert Nation (January 12, 2012)
- Super PACs Buy Time to Keep Secrets, The Associated Press (January 7, 2012)
- How Many Stephen Colberts Are There?, The New York Times (January 4, 2012)
- For Mr. Potter's full biography at Caplin & Drysdale , click here.